On the Wings of Crows
by Telemna Hyelle
Summary: Akatsuki was in need of the services of a medic, but Itachi never suspected this fact would change his life forever. Looking back, however, it was only natural that he would connect with a girl that was as trapped as he was himself.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Itachi, or a cool Akatsuki cloak. Life truly IS pain, I guess. Wesley was right all along._

Chapter 1: In Which The Story Begins

It all began when Deidara had first arrived at the hideout. He'd been badly wounded from his fight with Itachi, and there had been no-one to heal him. Pein therefore decided that it would be a prudent investment to… _recruit_… a medic nin to the cause. However, medic nins were rare, and there were no rumors to be had of A or S class missing medic nin to be had. Also, none of the members of the Akatsuki were dumb enough to allow Orochimaru to patch them up.

The obvious solution was then to claim a medic nin for themselves, one skilled enough in medical jutsu to be of good use, but not skilled enough to be a nuisance or successful resist or escape.

Itachi had stayed silent. He _refused_ to subject a fellow Konoha nin to the horrors of the Akatsuki.

No one else moved. Deidara was still sulking from being recruited, Sasori, Hidan, and Zetsu had no real knowledge of medics, Kakazu was rather out of the loop, Orochimaru could care for himself, and Tobi (who most did not count as a real member) was in the corner, happily singing about dango and turtles and kittens.

No one was expecting it, then, when Kisame grinned. "I think I know someone who fits the bill, then."

Which was why Itachi was here, on the cold, damp, mist-wreathed island in the center of the Land of Water.

Itachi hated the damp.

He hated how it would seep into his bones, and make his lungs itch and feel heavy. He had enough problems with his lungs already _without_ the added discomfort.

_I am going to get Kisame for this_. He promised himself bitterly._ He knows how much I hate the damp. _

Wrapping his cloak tighter about himself, he settled against the tree and stared morosely off into the mist. Just two years ago he would have been looking forward to going home, to where his mother would warm him up by fetching dry, comfortable clothes and preparing his favorite tea, and his grumpy mood would be cheered by Sasuke chattering happily about what he was learning and the stupid loser and the pretty girl with pink hair in his class.

But that was two years ago. Sasuke would sooner stab a kunai in his throat than tell him about his day at the Academy, and the comfortable clothes and warm tea and concerned clucking of his mother were all gone

And worst of all, Itachi had no one to blame but himself.

He sighed and let his head fall back against the tree, taking shallow breaths to keep from irritating his lungs. Maybe he'd treat himself once he and Kisame got off this island, and he'd go visit a tea shop. Perhaps he'd even get some dango… or maybe even pocky. It'd been a long time since he'd managed to grab some pocky…

His pleasant musings, however, were interrupted when his rather fishy companion burst into the clearing with a struggling girl slung over his shoulder.

Itachi jumped to his feet, tomoe swirling in his crimson gaze, and watched in astonishment as the girl bit the shark-man's ear. Kisame howled in pain and promptly dropped his prisoner to the ground. The girl—presumably the medic they had been sent to 'recruit'—scrambled awkwardly to her feet, but before she could even move a step Itachi was there, grabbing her arm.

"I would suggest, miss_,_" he said calmly, "That you cease trying to resist. I'm afraid it will merely tire you out."

The girl twisted fiercely in his grasp, trying to stomp on his foot, but the Uchiha easily side-stepped her. "Take this as your final warning, miss. I have no wish to harm you, but I will subdue you if I must." And he would, though his stomach clenched at the idea of subjecting the girl to his Tsukuyomi. She was rather small—not even shoulder height—and her arm felt thin and malnourished. Still, he would do what he must, as he always had.

The girl yanked fiercely against his grip, but to no avail. Suppressing a sigh, he reached out with his free hand and caught her chin, tugging her face around to meet the gaze of his scarlet eyes.

Wide golden eyes met his, framed by her fall of dark, straggly curls, and Itachi stared in astonishment as tears fell down her cheeks. He had been expecting anger, not this—this was pure, unadulterated terror. He stared at the tears for a long moment and felt her arm shake like a leaf in his grasp, and his heart ached.

Itachi knew that the prospect of serving the Akatsuki as a medic would not incite such terror, and with that realization he knew he couldn't bear to put her under a genjutsu.

A sigh slipped past his lips, his hand darted around to the back of her neck, and in the next moment the girl slumped against him as she fell unconscious. Itachi picked her up—she barely weighed more than a feather pillow in his arms—and set her carefully against a nearby tree.

Then he rounded on his partner.

"Kisame." He said. The man looked up from nursing his wounded ear, a scowl still on his face.

"Yeah? What do you want, Itachi?"

Itachi leveled his gaze on the shark-man, trying to suppress the irritation he felt welling up within him. "Did you inform the target as to _why_ we decided to recruit her?"

The Kirigakure missing-nin blinked. "Uh… no? I just told her 'You're coming with me' and grabbed her."

Itachi's mother had always told him to never act on his anger, so, accordingly, he breathed out slowly through his nose. He was too disciplined, he reminded himself, to stab his partner in the gills. "That, I suppose," he said slowly, "Explains why the girl seems to be under the impression you grabbed her for more… unsavory purposes."

Kisame blinked, then laughed. "What, she thinks you and I were gonna rape her? No offense, but she's too small for my tastes. Course, that doesn't mean she safe from the rest."

Itachi processed this information before turning away. Kisame was right, and therefore he had plans to make. His parents hadn't raised to him to stand by and let someone get hurt in that fashion, after all. He stalked over and scooped the girl up, ready to go. Her head lolled against his arm, and Itachi looked down thoughtfully, eyes examining the pale, clammy skin, the dark, stringy curls, and the spattering of freckles across her nose.

"What's her name?" He asked Kisame.

"She's not from a clan, if that's what your asking." The shark-man said as he donned his uniform-regulation hat. "Course, not like they're a lot of clans left in the Mist. Her name's Murakawa Tomino, chunin of the Village Hidden in the Mist."

_Murakawa Tomino_, Itachi thought as he leaped into the trees. _I am sorry I couldn't protect you from this fate, but I will do my best to shield you from now on_.

_It'll be nice to spare a life for one, after all._

_~.~~.~~.~_

**Author's Note: Hi! If you read my other stories, I am VERY VERY SORRY THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE FOR ****_AMAZEMENT_**. **Life has been pretty crazy, and I haven't been writing fanfiction in order to finish an important project. However, said project is almost complete, and I plan to have another chapter up in a week or so. But today is Itachi's birthday, and I felt I absolutely had to post something for the occasion. I wrote almost all of this months ago, so I quickly finished it and tidied it up a little, and I hope you enjoy it! It's an ItachixOC story, one which I'm very looking forward to writing. **

**However, it is lower on the priority list than ****_Amazement_**** and ****_The Ramen Shop, _****my other stories, so it will probably be a bit before this gets an update. Consider this a teaser for something that's still coming down the road!**

**So, Happy Birthday, Itachi! Your love, unselfishness, nobility, and sacrifice will forever live in our hearts and memories, and will inspire us fanfiction authors for decades to come. I merely hope we can do you justice. **

**Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. This is obvious, for if I DID, Itachi would STILL BE ALIVE to CELEBRATE HIS BIRTHDAY. _

_On that note, Happy Birthday, Itachi!_

Chapter 2: In Which a Medic Thoroughly Regrets Healing Someone

~.~

Murakawa Tomino disliked killing.

This was unfortunate, because she had the poor luck to be an orphan born in the Bloody Mist.

If anyone were to tell her that one day she'd be glad to be born in the Village Hidden in the Mist, she'd be tempted to either laugh in your face or punch you in the nose. However, Tomino wasn't the sort to go around punching people, and she knew better to respond negatively to such a statement, so she would have nodded and held her tongue.

It would have been a good thing too, for it wouldn't have been very nice to laugh in the face of someone telling the truth.

As an orphan, Tomino was obligatorily sent to the Shinobi Academy, in order to 'give back to the community which supported her'. Therefore, she did the only thing she could think of that would distance herself from the killing.

She began studying to become a medic.

The Hidden Leaf village was known for its medical program, largely in part because it had been home to Senju Hashirama and his granddaughter, the Princess Tsunade. Other villages weren't as lucky, and struggled to keep up.

So, it became Hidden Mist policy that any child that showed promise in the medical arts was to be instantly drafted into the medic corps. One day when she was eight years old, an ANBU burst in with no warning and dumped her into the shinobi hospital, where a medic swept her along into a whirlwind of training and studying. When three years had passed, she was granted a headband of the Hidden Mist, achieving the rank of genin without having to pass the Academy's final exam.

A good thing, too, for everyone knew what the final exams were like, even if they had slackened off since the days of Momoichi Zabuza.

As a valuable asset, Tomino was rarely sent on mission. She, however, was quite content to be kept in the hospital, doing her best to heal her fellow shinobi.

Then, she met Hoshigaki Kisame.

She noticed that the other nurses seemed uneasy around him, so she made a point of greeting him politely and smiling, healing him when other medics shied away and made excuses. There was little enough cheer and comradery in the Hidden Mist without her adding to its lack, after all.

How was she to know that Kisame would defect to the Akatsuki only a year or so later? And how was she to guess that when, a couple more years down the line, Pein mentioned he was in search of a low-ranked medic who was skilled but not powerful enough to cause a hindrance, Kisame would remember a slender little genin who smiled at him, once. She had never considered herself memorable, after all.

Tomino had never, ever regretted healing anyone ever before. She was a medic, and it was her duty to extend aid to _everyone _in need, even those she hated (who, in a village like Kiri, were many).

Now, though, as she stirred to wakefulness in a cold, unknown room, Tomino decided that, just this once, she perhaps should have made an exception.

She tried to lay still, breathing evenly, trying to get a sense of her prison. She felt the softness of sheets and a mattress beneath her, and she bit her lip, struggling to keep her heartbeat from skyrocketing.

_Please, please, please…_ her breath gathered and stuttered and she fought against the urge to sob.

"Do not be frightened, Murakawa-san." A smooth, deep voice said, cutting through the haze of panic Tomino was fighting against. "Your purpose here is not what you fear."

The medic shot upright, chakra scalpels burning to life at her fingertips, to face her captor.

…It wasn't Kisame. In fact, the giant blue missing-nin was nowhere to be seen.

He was a young man, perhaps a year older than her but no more. His skin was pale—a stark contrast to his dark hair, and his eyes gleamed red at her from below his hitai-ate.

He looked vaguely familiar. In fact, she was certain she had seen his face somewhere before. Her eyes focused on the hitai-ate, remembering her fishy captor, and stared at the crossed out symbol of a leaf—before her gaze darted back to his red eyes in sudden comprehension.

Instantly, Tomino slammed her eyes shut, lifting her chakra scalpels threateningly. She didn't know much about the Sharingan, but the old veterans at the hospital had talked about it, and had always stressed to never look an Uchiha in the eye. Tomino wasn't sure how much she could do against _Uchiha Itachi_ _the Clan-Killer_ with her eyes shut, but at least this way she had a chance, instead of simply being genjustu-ed into being a sitting duck.

"There's no need for that," Uchiha Itachi repeated calmly. "I will not harm you. Open your eyes."

Tomino bit her tongue in consternation, but slowly opened her eyes, keeping her gaze locked on her knees. She also lowered her hands, but her chakra scalpels still flickered blue at her fingers.

She didn't dare to out-and-out provoke an S-Ranked, most likely insane missing-nin, but then again, no sense in letter her guard down.

She bit her tongue harder and scrolled through the questions in her mind—she knew who he was, and it would be futile to ask where she was kept prisoner. After a moment, she picked her question. "What am I here for?"

~.~ * ~.~

Itachi eyed the girl seated on his bed. Her shoulders were tensed to keep from trembling and her eyes fixed firmly away from his face—she was clearly afraid. Yet, despite all this, she kept her chakra scalpels alight.

Compared to himself and the rest of his 'comrades' in the Akatsuki, she was barely a gnat on the scale of power. Still… she had spirit, and intelligence. Definitely lots of spirit, he thought with faint amusement, remembering how she had bit Kisame's ear.

That was good. If she hadn't, even his interference may not have been enough to keep her alive.

After a long moment of silence, he answered the medic's question. "Have you heard of the Akatsuki?"

After a few seconds, she tipped her chin even further down in a nod. "Only a little. Rumors. Gossip."

Itachi eyed her carefully, weighing the balance between what needed to be known and what would be safer not too. Finally, he spoke. "The Akatsuki is a mercenary group of S-Ranked Missing Nin. However, despite this, it is possible for us to sustain damage while on a mission. Therefore, our Leader-sama requested we recruit a medic?"

Murakawa-san took this in, finally nodding numbly. "Why me?"

"Kisame-san remembered you, and deemed your abilities suitable for our purposes." Essentially, she was skilled enough to be of use, but not enough to be a nuisance.

A frown twisted the girl's expression. Apparently she had picked up on the subtext of the situation. After a moment, she sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I suppose I have no choice. I'll be your medic."

Itachi nodded his head, feeling faint fingers of relief stirring through him. Had she resisted, Leader-sama had instructed that he _convince_ her with his unique abilities.

"A wise choice." He intoned. Her gazes flickered up cautiously to read his expression, but not high enough to catch his eyes—she was a smart, careful one. There was a thought, somewhere behind her eyes, but she seemed hesitant to speak it.

Itachi stayed silent, staring at her solemnly. He was very good at waiting.

The silence dragged on, and on, until finally the girl either caved or gathered up enough courage to voice her question.

"The Akatsuki are said to be…." She hesitated, delicately picking her words with the care Sasuke once used when picking out a tomato to snack on. "…somewhat… erratic." _Insane_. "Have I any reassurance I'll be safe?"

Now they had come to it, and quicker than Itachi had thought. The question of the girl's safety was one he had been pondering since he had knocked her out, back near Kiri.

Some of the Akatsuki were reasonably in control, such as himself or Kisame, while others (Deidara and Hidan came to mind) were considerably more volatile, on the best of days. Not to mention those who would see her as nothing more than a replaceable resource and not hesitate to lash out if she displeased them in some manner.

Intelligent and spirited she might be, but she was still barely chuunin-level medic trapped in the midst of s-ranked monsters. Without some grander form of protection, some line his associates would dare not cross, there was no guarantee she would survive for long.

His stomach warmed with embarrassment, such as he had not felt for some time, but it was the only reasonable solution he had managed to discover.

"There is a way." He said, solemnly, and watched as her golden eyes lit with faint, guarded hope. "If you are given the protection of association with me, the rest of my associates would not dare to harm you and risk my… displeasure."

The girl narrowed her eyes. "What… _sort_ of association, Uchiha-san?"

Itachi let out a sigh, wondering if any of his embarrassment was coloring his ears. He could hear Shisui laughing at him.

"No one would dare harm the wife of Uchiha Itachi."

~.~ * ~.~ * ~.~

**Author's Note: **

**SOoooooooo… it has been a long minute. **

**I honestly did not plan for this to take a _year_ to update… In fact, I started on this chapter back before Christmas, but I've been very busy over the last six months, with, y'know, Christmas, and then such mundane things like getting a job and original writing deadlines (which are still looming over my head, ugh). So I haven't really been able to update any of my stories for… some time. I cannot be more sorry about this!**

**But, today is Itachi's birthday, and I could _not_ let it pass without a present for him and his fans, so here you go—the second chapter, at long last! **

**After this, I plan to jump back into a more regular posting schedule for my stories—though this, sadly, will remain on the lower end of my fanfic priority list. I hope to get back to it soon, though!**

**And now, Happy Birthday to Itachi! No matter what you did in life, know that we, the fandom, will love you always. **

**Until next time!**


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